Poultry feeder



|. D. RIEGEL POULTRY FEEDER March 4', 1924. 1,485,469

Filed June 22 ].922

Patented Mar. 4, 1924. v l i UNITED STATES inwm 1). men, or rmmsnvama.

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Application filed June 22, 1922. Serial No. 570,002.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRWIN D. Rirohn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shartlesville, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improv ments in Poultry Feeders, of which t following is a specification.

My inventionrelates particularly to poultry feeders; and it consists in improvements adapted to secure satisfactoryv feeding with a minimum of wastage and maintenance of sanitary conditions, by means of a simple inexpensive and durable construction as hereinafter. fully set forth in connection-with the accompanying drawings; the novel features and combination being clearly defined in the subjoined claims.

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in central vertical section, of a complete feeder -embodying all the features of my invention in preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional plan view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are separateshowings of certam of the parts. b

The feed reservoir, as shown, is formed with a cylindrical body 1 adapted for application of a water-shed cover 2, and with a frusto-conical bottom portion 3 having a reduced cylindrical extension 4 to which is connected the cooperating feed-trough base portion of the device. v

The base plate 10 isprovided with a central cone 11 which rises into the bottom of the reservoir and is suitably connected to the depending portion 4 of the latter. This cone also forms the inclined lower wall of an annular feed passage-way 12 for conducting the feed from the reservoir, under the lower edge of said extension 4, to the annular feed; trough 15. The outer wall of this trough is formed by an upward circular flange 16 on the outer edge of the base plate 10, while its inner wall is formed by the depending reservoir extension 4, with a feed entrance 17 to the trough under the latter. The outer diameter of. the feed trough is approxiniately the same as that of the'reservoir 1, so that the latter overhangs and normally protects the trough.

The feed trough is separated into different compartments by radial partition plates 18. These. are bent up in pairs as shown in Fig. 4, with a narrowed 'connectin portion 19 which serves to rigidly secure t em to a circ lar connecting ring20, and to provide a f ed entrance 17 under the latter to the trough; these doubleartition devices being sospaced 1n thetroug as to also form compartments between them, whereby a doubled number of compartments is formed. As shown, the ring 20 and its connected partition devices is set loosely in the trough, and may be rotated occasionally to scrape the bottom and walls thereof.

It is important that the feed should be reliably delivered to the trough; also that the amount so fed should be automatically limited so as to maintain only a restricted sup ply therein; and, even so, that the wastage hkely to be caused by throwing of the feed out of the trough should be positively prevented. In my improved construction I provide for reducing the area of the feed entrance 17, 17 as far as may be found practicable under any specific conditions, by means of a vertically adjustable ring-gate 22, arranged to be lowered upon the,inner wall 4 of the trough so as to partially close the fixed feed entrances as found to be desirable; this vertical movement being pref-' duce the flow area above the trough entrance.

My invention thus enables a thin layerof feed to be reliably maintained in the trough compartments with reduced liability to wastage. In order to provide further against wastage by possi le throwing of the feed out of the trough, I provide the .latter with one or more feed-retaining rings arranged within the outer wall of the trough; preferably in the form of an inwardly overhanging fiange ring carried by the upper edge of the trough as indicated at 26, or in the form of a wire ring or rings 25 carried by the partitions 18, or both. To still further insure against wastage, particularly b preventing destructive access to the feed 1n the trough, as by rats &c., I provide the overhanging reservoir 1 with a vertically movable apron-ring 30, adapted to be lowered to or towards the trough as indicated by dotted lines, and thereby effectively protect the latter; such vertical adjustment of said apron-ring being preferably effected by a turning movement thereof with each of its inclined slots, 30, 30 engaging a fixed pin 30 of the reservoir wall as indicated, similarly to the previously described adjustment of the ring-gate 22. The specific arrangement and mechanical details particularly set forth may however be readily modified within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. I

What I claim is:

,1. In a feeder, the combination with a cylindrical feed reservoir having a connected base portion comprising an annular feed-trough and an inclined annular feedway communicating with the lower portion of said trough, of a plurality of fixed pressure-relieving rings in said feed-way located at dilferent distances from the trough entrance and differently spaced from the inclined Wall of the feed way.

2. In a feeder, the combination with a cylindrical feed reservoir having a connected base portion comprising an annular feed-trough and .an inclined annular feedat difl'erent distances from the trough entrance and differently spaced from the inclined wall of the feed way, and a vertically slidable ring-gate adapted to vary the area of the trough entrance.

3. In combination with a cylindrical feed reservoir, a connected base portion comprismg an annular feed trough and a feed Way thereto communcatmg with sa1d reservoir;

said trough having a closed outer wall, a-

partially open inner wall, and a series of circularly spaced U-shaped partition devices therein adapted to form separate feed compartments arranged in communication with said feed-way.

4. In a feeder, the combination with a cylindrical feed reservoir having a reduced cylindrical bottom extension, and a connected base portion comprising an annular feed trough the artially open inner wall of which is formed y said extension; of a partition device ,rotatably movable in said trough and comprising U-shaped partition plates and a connecting ring therefor.

In testimony. whereof I aflix my signature IRWIN D. RIEGEL. 

